The Dude Diet: a clean take on your favorite meals

Author of the The Dude Diet Serena Wolf took all of her boyfriend's favorite meals and slimmed them down for a lower calorie meal that tastes like its counterpart. Today she makes her Fully Loaded BBQ Chicken Nachos and Buffalo Chicken Salad.

Author:
Joseph Suttner

Published:
11:00 AM PST March 8, 2017

Updated:
4:22 PM PST March 8, 2017

Many diets can force you to stop eating your favorite foods. But what if we told you it’s possible to still eat your favorite meals, just cleaner? The Dude Diet came about when author Serena Wolf’s boyfriend (now fiancé) declared he needed to go on a diet. She then came up with 125 recipes of slimmed-down versions of his favorite meals that are just as tasty as the high calorie alternatives. Today Serena shows us how to make her Fully Loaded BBQ Chicken Nachos and Buffalo Chicken Salad straight out of her new cookbook The Dude Diet. Don’t be fooled! It’s not only for dudes! Everyone can benefit!

Dude Diet Philly Cheesesteak Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound top round steak

1 1/2 bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (I like to use a mix of red, green, and yellow peppers, but you do you.)

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 large portobello mushroom caps

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Four 1-ounce slices provolone cheese

Four 6-inch whole-wheat sub rolls

Directions:

1. Place your top round steak in the freezer for 20 minutes. (This Will make the beef so much easier to slice.)

2. Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables. I'm sure you know how to slice bell peppers and onions, dudes, but the portobellos require a little extra attention. Remove the stems from each mushroom, and use a spoon to scrape off the brown gills on the underside. Slice the caps in half, and then thinly slice each half crosswise. Set the vegetables aside.

3. Remove the steak from the freezer and slice it across the grain as thinly as you possibly can.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the steak to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly and breaking it up into smaller pieces with a spatula or until no longer pink. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside.

5. Wipe out the skillet, return it to the heat, and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the vegetables and garlic and cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until tender (but not mushy) and lightly browned.

6. Add the steak back to the skillet and stir in the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

7. Reduce the heat to medium, place the slices of provolone on top of the steak and vegetables and allow it to melt completely. (This should only take about 2 minutes, tops!)

8. Slice your sub rolls three-quarters of the way through and hollow out their insides, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. (You won't miss the extra bread, I promise.)

9. Divide the cheesesteak filling among the four hollowed-out rolls. Serve warm.